Connecting Stars
by Cutie Emo Panda
Summary: Is it a gift or a curse? Seeing a future set in stone, is it a blessing? Or just damnation in disguise. They were able to foresee their meeting, a fateful day in an ordinary classroom. They could foresee the sparks and moments that lead them to a happily-ever-after they had longed for all their lives. But when they foresee their end...
1. Prologue

**Connecting Stars: Prologue**

* * *

Four years old…

 _A boy._

Six years old…

 _A boy grasps a girl's hand._

Ten years old…

 _The boy has bright orange hair and the girl is small._

Eleven years old…

 _The boy with orange hair wears a scowl on his face as the girl stands before him without much expression at all._

Twelve years old…

 _The boy with orange hair and a scowl looks up at the girl without an expression. He holds out his hand and she gives him hers._

Thirteen years old…

 _The girl without an expression walks up to the boy with orange hair and a scowl. He looks up at her with such wondrous eyes, filled with relief and disbelief. He slowly holds a hand out to her. She is tentative as she hands him one of her own. But it fits in his palm._

Fourteen years old…

 _The girl without an expression is actually quite nervous as she stands in front a crowd of students sitting, staring, scrutinizing. She looks over each of them and walks up to the boy with orange hair and a scowl. He looks up at her, relief and disbelief wash over his expression, her shoulders slump as though relieved herself. He looks down at her hand and holds out his for her. She is once again nervous as she places it in his, palm up. He looks up once again, smiling._

"Rukia?"

She was jolted back into reality just as the car came to a stop in front of the gates of what was to be her new school. She shifted uncomfortably, looking up at the building. The front entrance seemed to be shaded as the school blocked the sun from falling on the front courtyard. The shoulders of her white button up were a little too broad. Her black skirt hung a little too low. They were both taken from her sister's closet as temporary ware till she was issued her actual uniform.

"Are you nervous?" Her sister asked from beside her.

Rukia shook her head, but didn't look back at her sister as she opened the door to get out. Feeling as her sister tugged at the sleeve of her shirt, she looked back.

"Don't be nervous," were her encouraging words.

Rukia nodded her head.

"See you at home Nee-san."

"Good luck."

And the door was closed as she watched her sister drive away. Fifteen, and living in a town and going to a school that were both foreign to her, she stared up at the building. Her heart was pounding, racing. The beating against her ribcage was like a war drum, thirty beats a step. Walking up the steps, trying to find her classroom in the silence of the halls, the palms of her hands felt sticky with sweat. Opening the doors to her soon to be classroom, Rukia made sure to cause as little commotion as she could.

The door slid easy enough, not making any unnecessary noise or clatter, and she stood nervously at the doorway. Neither the class nor the teacher taking role seemed to notice her presence. But when the instructor turned to Rukia, looking much too young to be a high school teacher, she clenched her teeth and took a deep inhale. The teacher had just made the announcement about her transfer.

Rukia hesitated before entering. Facing the class, there wasn't much she could do. Her face could not find the will to muster a smile or even frown. She was expressionless. Her hands glued to her side, there was an awkward bow as she tried to hide her face with the mess on her head she called hair. But when she lifted her body back straight, her eyes began to immediately scan the room. Faces and faces, she saw so many faces. Some stared with wide-eyed wonder. Others looked back with a similar blank expression. But there was only one scowling ball of orange at the center left of the room. His head was down and it seemed almost as though he were not paying much attention to what was going on in the class at all. The desk looked like it entertained him more.

Without much thought or warning, she walked up to him. Slowly, steadily, no one stopped her.

When she stopped in front of him, she made a shadow that covered the morning light from hitting his eyes. There was a moment that passed before he slowly lifted his head from the table. And in that moment, it was obvious that he had been paying attention the whole time. In fact, he had been extra attentive when the teacher had paused in the middle of her morning lecture to introduce a new student. He just didn't have the courage to look up, he was afraid he would have been anticipating too much – expecting more than fate would allow. But it was her.

A look of relief washed over his face. Like a lost child finally being found, he held out his hand to her. And even if it had played so many times in her own mind, there was that moment of hesitance as she made her own hand move into his. For the first time, she was able to see the calluses so vividly, feel the rough ware of his palms. The marks of the years they had known of each other, seen each other, waited for one another, yet never being with the other. He noticed how small her hands really were, and she realized just how his seemed to envelope hers. And yet, holding them together, they fit perfectly.

 _White…_

 _She wears white on this day, her face more mature and his shoulders a little broader. They smile to each other when he kisses her forehead. The bouquet of flowers she holds drops to the floor as she stands on tip toes to reach him. He leans down to help. There is a crowd watching, intent, but neither pays much attention. He pulls her closer, she presses to him; it is not the first time they have done this, experience and confidence their action is evident._

He squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo."

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia."

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Kuchiki Rukia…" he says. The name slips off his tongue as though he'd said it a thousand times before. With ease, their hands switch positions so that it was palm to palm. He smoothed his thumb over her knuckles and she did not shy away. Instead, her posture seemed to relax a little as she took a step closer to him.

"Well Rukia," he looked up to her with a grin larger than any grin he had ever given before, "I've waited a long time for you."

She smiled back.

"Sorry I couldn't find you sooner."

* * *

 **End Prologue**

* * *

Wow! it's been a long time. Three years has it been? My last upload to this sight was in 2013 I can't really say if this means I'm back for good or if chapter updates are going to come in regular intervals... but I've had this prologue to story I've been really wanting to write, rotting on my computer for a long time and, for whatever reason, decided to polish it up and upload it here.

Honestly, I thought that I was done with this sight... if only because its been so long and my stories... I don't want to say that I'm embarrassed by them, I definitely think that writing them made me a better writer. A lot of the ideas that went into those stories, over the years I no longer feel the same as I did when I first wrote them. Three years is a long time and I've certainly changed since I started writing back in, 2011 was it? I wasn't even in high school yet. So yes, my feelings towards those stories have changed, but I'll keep them up. If only because every so often I'll get an email about a review that makes me smile a bit :)

As for this story, I'll do my best to finish this and update as regularly as I can. I make no promises, but I hope that you all thoroughly enjoy it, new followers and old. Man, this author's note is long.

Please, **review** and let me know how you enjoyed it. Or didn't, I take both compliment and criticism.


	2. Chapter One

_Italics and Present Tense_ are visions... avoid this chapter if sexual situations between my otp make you uncomfortable :P

* * *

 **Connecting Stars: Chapter One**

* * *

There was a whistle through the air and the audience remained silently watching. Standing their ground, swords held in front. One charged ahead. _Clack_ went the sound of bamboo slapping. A quick turn and they lunged again. A call for the waist. This time, there was a victor as the red flag flew into the air.

One of the circling referees called the match, and the two armored girls placed themselves at their starting positions, waiting for the final bows to be over before rejoining their respective teams.

Rukia flung her helmet off, eyes wide in pride and amazement. Her smile only growing wider with each heave of breath she took. Turning to face her opponent, she did one final bow to girl in front of her before she was swept by a crowd of her teammates. Though they towered over her small frame, she stood proudly beside them while their cheers and congratulatory words filled her ears.

"As expected of vice-captain Kuchiki," a first year boy shouted.

"She was a difficult opponent," Rukia admitted, "we spent an entire ten minutes just analyzing each other's body movements. Kendo is just as much a mental sport as it is a physical one."

"But you still did amazing," he insisted.

"Thank you, Hanataro." Rukia smiled.

"Okay everyone, don't crowd her too much."

"Vice-captain Abarai," someone gasped.

"I know everyone is excited because Rukia won her tournament," Renji said, "but there are still other teammates in other divisions that we need to cheer for. Celebrations can come later when everything is over. Understood?"

"Yes!" was a unanimous shout.

The stage floor was cleared, being prepared for the next final match. Renji handed Rukia a bottle of water and a cool, moist towel. She thanked him and wiped her brow, taking in a generous amount of water. A few drops fell down her chin and onto her uniform, though she hardly minded.

"Abarai-san really treats Kuchiki-san well," Hanataro commented, watching from across the stage. Hanataro was new to the team and kendo, having been eliminated in the first round of competition, he stayed with a few of the other first years to give moral support to some of the more skilled team members.

An older teammate stood beside him, taking a chug from his water bottle. He glanced over at Renji and Rukia, the taller man patting her head with a teasing expression.

"Well, they are childhood friends," he shrugged.

"It really shows," Hanataro beamed. "They act really close and get along well. Do you think there are any feelings between them? I-I m-mean besides friendship."

Hanataro looked sheepish, like he had been caught with his pants down. The question had come from nowhere, though he would be the first to admit he was a hopeless romantic.

The older teammate shrugged.

"Does it really matter?" he responded. He took another chug from his bottle. Thinking it over again, watching as Renji rubbed the side of his arm after Rukia had given him a playful punch. "Maybe Renji but I highly doubt Kuchiki-san thinks of him as anything but a brother figure."

"Why?" Hanataro turned in curiosity.

Rukia laughed at something Renji said or did, his arms crossing in feigned anger. The older raised a brow.

"Do you seriously not know? You've been on the team for almost a year now."

Hanataro tilted his head in confusion.

"Know what?"

"Rukia!"

A voice called and echoed through the room. Rukia turned, her muscles reacting on instinct to the sound of the voice calling her. She had done a half step before even registering it was her name being called.

"Ichigo," she called back, almost smug.

A man with bright orange hair, spiked and messed in all directions, approached with a half-smile. Both hands in his winter jacket, he slipped one out and she let it easily slip around her waist when he gave Renji a cordial greeting. Hanataro stared, wide eyed.

"Vice-captain Kuchiki-san is a married woman," the older said coolly, "has been ever since she entered Seireitei University three years ago."

Renji had an expression that read to be a little peeved, but the three seemed to get along fine. Rukia did not resist as she was pulled closer into the orange haired man's embrace.

"I… I didn't know people in Japan still got married so young…" Hanataro mumbled under his breath.

The older chuckled.

"You're tellin' me," He said, "half the team was pretty smitten with her when she first joined the team on scholarship. Imagine our surprise when a sherbet haired, delinquent looking guy comes in claiming to be her ball and chain."

Hanataro could only imagine.

"I hear the husband goes to SMU."

"Seireitei Medical University?" Hanataro clarified.

The older nodded. The three seemed to laugh about something.

"Her in-law/adoptive brother is the head of some big, international tech firm, she's married to a guy who's going to be a doctor, she just won the All Universities Women's Kendo Tournament… heard she's in that nation-wide collegiate honor's program or something?" the older teammate tried to take another swig of his water bottle, only to find, disappointingly, that it was empty. "I'm not too close with vice-captain Kuchiki but from where I'm standing, she seems to be living a fuller life than I ever will."

* * *

"That girl almost had you," Ichigo stated.

The subway was crowded with the briefcases of business men and women taking their work with them to their empty apartments or homes filled with nagging spouses and screaming children. Though the look of the city lights were lost in the blur of the train moving at speeds faster than anywhere else in the world, Ichigo had himself pressed so that he was shielding Rukia from the numbers of bustling and moving bodies surrounding them.

"Doubting her were you?" Renji chided from the side. "That's some trust you have there in your life partner, yah know?"

"I wasn't," Ichigo gave Renji a look of annoyance. "I was just making an observation. Besides, what was there to worry about? I already _saw_ her win."

"Of course you saw me win…" Rukia said, eyes rolling. Then, realization dawned on her, the implication of his words setting in. "Wait… do you mean you had a _vision_ that I was going to win?"

"Ah…" Ichigo was at a loss for words.

"Great," Rukia threw a hand in the air, "that kind of ruins the victory a little. When did you _see_ it?"

"And you were worried I was going to spill it to her?" Renji snickered.

Ichigo shot Renji a glare before turning back to his anticipating wife.

"I saw it…" he paused, trying to recall when he had had the vision of Rukia, throwing off her Kendo helmet, eyes wide in shock and excitement. "I think it was around a week ago? When you stayed late at the dojo to train."

Rukia paused, searching the look in Ichigo's eyes to be sure he wasn't lying. Leaning back into the wall of the train behind her, she gave him a smug smile.

"Okay, that makes it a little better."

Ichigo flashed her a smile, their expressions a mirror of each other. Renji cleared his throat from the side, pulling Rukia's gaze away for a second.

"When did you show up anyways, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, arms crossed, holding her Kendo equipment. "Didn't your professor say he was holding a supplementary lecture today to make up for the one he missed last month?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, nonchalant, "But it's fine, I caught most of it."

"Most of it?" Rukia's brow furrowed. "What do you mean-…?"

Her complaint was cut off by the buzzing of her phone in her pocket. Pulling it out, she checked the caller ID to find that it belonged to her sister, Hisana.

"Hello? Nee-san?" Rukia said into the receiver.

"Hello? Rukia!" Hisana's soft voice came from the other end. "Are you and Ichigo-kun on your way?"

"Yeah," Rukia said, "We're on our way. Why? Is something wrong?"

Ichigo raised a brow and Rukia only gave him a look.

"Oh, nothing, nothing…" Hisana said. Pots and pans could be heard shuffling around in the background. "I'm sorry to be asking this, but if the two of you aren't too close, could you stop by the market and grab a few bottles of wine, I'll reimburse you once Byakuya gets home."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all nee-san," Rukia said.

"Thank you so much Rukia! I'm terribly sorry," Hisana admonished. "I had been so busy with the preparations for tonight and work and then Shizuku-…"

"Nee-san, nee-san," Rukia assured her sister in the most soothing voice she could muster, "It's fine, really. Just worry about getting tonight prepared, Ichigo and I will be there in a little bit."

"Thank you," Hisana said, one more time.

"No worries," Rukia said, "I'm going to hang up now. Don't let the pot over boil."

"Alright, I'll see you two in a bit."

"Okay."

Rukia removed the phone from her ear and hung up, putting it back into the pocket of her jacket.

"Everything okay?" Ichigo questioned.

Rukia smiled and nodded.

"Everything is fine," she said, "We just need to stop by the market and get some high quality wine for my brother's business dinner tonight."

"Wine?" Ichigo looked skeptical. "Doesn't your brother have a wine cellar or something? Why does your sister need us to pick some up?"

Rukia shrugged and pulled out her phone again. It was a forwarded message from her sister with a list of the wines that Byakuya had wanted to serve.

"He's probably thinking of giving them as gifts."

"I hope your brother's paying," Renji said, a bit of shock on his face, "Getting wine that's going to impress the business partners of _the_ Kuchiki Byakuya can't be cheap."

"Eh, it's really fine. I can't ask for much, he already gives me an allowance every month that really helps with rent and the bills."

Rukia pressed her lips together in a tight line. Both Renji and Ichigo knew that Rukia hated being indebted to people, and if there was anyone she felt more indebted to, it was Kuchiki Byakuya. Ichigo grumbled in his throat and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Fool… what are you doing?"

"I hope you remember that I'm also part of that allowance Byakuya gives _us_ every month," Ichigo said, a serious look on his face. "There isn't a lot we can do as we are now. You've already got a scholarship, so my tuition takes most of our financial bulk. Okay?"

His eyes were like amber, burning into her, though it was a reassuring look she had seen a million times. She smiled.

"Okay." She repeated.

Renji cleared his throat from the side, making the two break eye contact for a moment as the train came to a halt.

"Well this is my stop." Renji announced, a little disheartened that he had been ignored most of the ride. "Say 'hi' to the little rascals for me."

"Will do," Rukia said.

When the doors to the train opened, Renji swung his Kendo equipment over his shoulder, almost hitting Ichigo in the face as he exited. When the wave of new passengers came on board, Ichigo moved the two of them closer to the other side of the car so not to be crushed.

* * *

"How much do we owe you?" Hisana opened the door before the doorbell had finished its first ring. Her apron was wrapped loosely around her body, covered in splashes of flour and marinade. Though Rukia had been growing her hair out and kept more of the baby fat around her cheeks, Hisana and she were almost like mirror images – twins if someone didn't know any better.

Rukia pulled out the receipt from one of the bags and handed it to her sister. "It was actually a lot less than I expected."

"Less than you expected?" Ichigo gawked behind her. "We spent almost ten-thousand yen on one bottle!"

"Remember those bottles that my brother donated for each table at the after party?" Rukia asked, stepping into her sister's home and removing her shoes. "Each one was almost fifty-thousand yen each."

Ichigo silently humbled himself, stepping just behind Rukia and closing the door.

"There really is no need to get caught up in the details Ichigo-kun," Hisana assured with a sweet smile, ushering the two in. "For now, the two of you should only be worrying about your studies and enjoying yourselves. You're young."

"So are you nee-san," Rukia said.

Hisana gave a chiming laugh.

"Well, I'm very thankful the two of you came over, even after your big tournament, Rukia." Hisana continued. "How did you do?"

"She won! Completely crushed them all." Ichigo beamed, not hiding an ounce of his delight.

"Really? That's great!" Hisana said, taking the bags from both Rukia and Ichigo's hands. For woman not much taller than Rukia herself, she was much stronger than she looked.

"Thanks," Rukia said.

Ichigo had, in the beginning, found it completely unsettling the way Rukia became so demure and meek around her sister and adoptive brother. Though her shyness had gotten better over the years, her insecurities about being a Kuchiki subsiding most of the time while in public, there were times that Ichigo truly worried about her.

"So where are the kids?" Ichigo ask, taking a seat on the couch.

The Kuchiki house – more like mansion – was a feat of modern architecture, constructed entirely of abstract angels and shiny surfaces. It resembled more of the inside to a contemporary art museum with its use of molded displays and paintings on the walls to resemble obscure Delaunay's.

"Hmm?" Hisana was wrapping the wine bottles in gift paper. "Oh! They were just-…"

"Ru-nee!"

From the staircase in the far corner, a kid no older than a toddler was standing with a thumb in his mouth and dark hair covering one of his eyes. Beside him stood a girl, four years older, with golden hair and her piercing green eyes staring daggers at Ichigo.

"Ru-nee!" the young boy cried out happily. "Ru-nee! Ru-nee!"

The young boy called out Rukia's name the whole time he waddled down the pristine stair case, one hand never leaving his mouth while the other gripped haphazardly to the railing. Rukia smiled and walked to meet the toddler half way.

"Shizuku!" Rukia laughed, wrapping her arms around the small boy as she fell into her legs. Looking up, she could see the young girl still staring intensely at her husband on the couch. Rukia's eyes softened. "Do you want a hug too, Homura?"

The young girl, Homura, immediately brought her attention to Rukia who gave her a sweet smile. The girl tensed her shoulders and a small blush began to crawl onto the contours of her face.

"O-of course!"

In only a split second from when she gave her answer and Rukia opened her arms in welcome, the small girl was running down the stairs and straight into Rukia's embrace.

"Careful, Shizuku, Homura," Hisana gave a motherly warning from the kitchen, "Rukia came straight from Kendo and hasn't eaten yet, you two aren't as light as you used to be."

"Yes kaa-san…" the two said in unison.

"It's fine nee-san," Rukia assured. Turning back to the two children in her arms she reached down and began tickling them both, their laughs echoing across the walls. "What kind of kendo warrior would I be if I couldn't handle the two of you?"

The two children were being reduced to a small pile of giggling fits, their childish smiles and round cheeks bouncing as they clutched their stomachs in laughter.

"S-stop i-it Ru-Ru-nee!" the little boy, Shizuku pleaded between hiccups of laughter.

"How did Rukia-nee do at her match?" Homura asked, her small face peeking up from Rukia's abdomen. "Did you win?"

"I did win," Rukia, giving a small smile to the young girl.

"Really?" Homura beamed.

"Weally? Weally?" Shizuku repeated his sister's words with much vigor, revealing a mouthful of straggling baby teeth.

"Really," Rukia affirmed, placing her two hands on the sides of her hip in a triumphant stance. The two young children beamed in admiration, their wide eyes brimmed with sparkling awe.

"Oi, oi, letting it get to your head, Rukia?"

"Oh?" Rukia turned to face Ichigo, a mischievous lilt in her voice. "Wasn't it just a moment ago that you were boasting about how your wife won the All Colleges Kendo Tournament? Aren't you the one responsible for this?"

A visible vein popped in his temple. Ichigo, with a peeved expression on his face, stood from the couch and walked over to the trio.

"Well, if it's my fault…" his teeth grit. "I guess I'll take responsibility."

And neither Rukia nor the children could have predicted that Ichigo would suddenly take the petit woman in his arms… and tickle her.

"What?" Rukia gasped as she felt the sudden urge to laugh uncontrollably. Her words of protest coming in burst of incoherent babble between bubbles of laughter. "W-wait… s-stop! Ichigo!"

The two kids, with eyes wide, were caught off guard when Ichigo turned to the two of them with a mischievous grin pulling at the corners of his lips.

"C'mon," he urged, "come give your aunt a good tickle attack!"

At first, the two just continued staring as Ichigo continued his assault of tickles onto his wife. Her face scrunched and mouth wide open in her laughter.

"W-wait- no… I-Ichigo…" she attempted – and ultimately failed – to protest.

Shizuku threw his arms into the air, giving a joyful screech in reply.

"Twickle a'ack!" he blurted.

"N-no, Shizu-…" and Rukia was unable to say anything more as the three-year-old boy pounced onto her, his fingers at the ready.

Ichigo had a smile as he looked on to the scene of the small boy as he reduced Rukia – the renowned collegiate kendo champion and Kuchiki – into a puddle of giggling mess. He chuckled to himself, satisfied, only then noticing that the other kid, Homura, was staring blankly at the scene before her.

"You know you can join them, right?" he told her gently.

Homura was startled by Ichigo's presence beside her. Only a moment of shock passed over her before she turned away from him, lips pouting and cheeks flushed.

"I-I don't need you to tell me that!" She mumbled. Her hands clenched around the fabric of her dress and elbows locked, she only continued to watch her brother and Rukia play around for a few more moments before she let go. "M-Me too!"

Ichigo continue to watch on with a satisfied smile as Homura joined Shizuku in their tickle assault on his wife. Leaning against the side of the staircase, he crossed his arms and felt a tug at his lips.

* * *

Ichigo fell onto their bed the moment they entered back into their apartment. His face was buried into the down pillows, body straight and arms at his sides, lying flat even after Rukia came out the bathroom from a shower.

"Did the kids really wear you down that much?" Rukia asked with a smug smirk.

Ichigo didn't respond.

"Hey, Ichigo." Rukia pestered. "I know you aren't asleep."

Still no response.

Tentatively, she walked around to the other end of the bed and looked over at Ichigo's still body. Giving him a calculated smile, she turned to face the closet and tried to pull out her sleeping wear as noisily, yet casually, as possible. She heard the bed make a small creek – one she was sure he thought went unnoticed – and let the towel wrapped around her body slip just a little looser on her back.

There was another inconspicuous creak from the bed.

Rukia quickly turned her head and saw, from her peripheral, Ichigo shift, though his position was the same as it was just a moment ago: face into pillow, body flat against their bed.

Rukia smirked.

Grabbing her pajamas from the closet, she made her way to bed and sat down at the end, just next to Ichigo's legs. Leaning back, she stretched her arms so that her body only barely ghosted over his back, her towel just slipping off.

"Hmm, being with Homura and Shizuku sometimes makes me think of having a family of my own." She drawled, pressing herself closer to Ichigo. Her hand reached up and played with the hairs at the base of his neck. She knew what that did to him, and she could feel and physically see his body wither at her touch. His face peered at her from the pillow.

"Oh, good, so you aren't dead." She jested.

Ichigo only smirked at her and pressed his face back into the pillow. Rukia, feigning exasperation, placed herself higher on his body, bare chest pressed into his back. Her fingers continued to caress the back of his neck as she pulled herself up to plant a couple of kisses behind his ears. She felt him shiver.

"What about you Ichigo?" she breathed. "Don't think I didn't see how well you and Shizuku were getting along, and Homura wasn't completely against you being there this time."

She let a hand slip just under his shirt.

"Mn?" She heard him groan.

"You love kids," she stated. "And I love that about you."

Her fingers were drawing patterns and circles along his spine and her breaths could be felt just at the base of his neck. Mixed with the sound her voice whispering in his ear and the strands of wet hair tickling his skin, he was baited and hooked.

Without any trepidation or hesitation, he turned from his stomach onto his back, and Rukia smirked. He returned one to her when she crawled back on top of him.

"Maybe when I'm done with med-school and have a steady practice," Ichigo finally said, his voice strained and breathy.

"Of course," she said, placing a couple of kisses like a trail from the base of his neck to the angle of his jaw, all the way to the crux of his smirking lips. She gave him a quick peck and smiled back.

And just as fleeting as their last kiss, so was her presence atop his body. In one swift motion, she threw her legs off from around his body and sat herself on the edge of the bed. It alarmed him.

"H-hey… what…?"

"You were really tired just a moment ago, weren't you?" she teased. "It's been a long day for you – and me – and it's probably best if we both get to bed soon."

Ichigo could only stare in disbelief and shock as he watched Rukia grab her pajamas that had fallen to the floor. Her naked body just sitting as she sorted out the clothes. The slight curve or her shoulders as they fell into the dips of waist. Her skin was like alabaster, even in the darkness of their bedroom he could make out the dimples that fell in the space of her lower back.

"Besides," she continued, "you should really take a shower. When was the last time-… Whuh?"

She wasn't able to finish her little quip when Ichigo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her down to the bed. Her head hit the mattress, bouncing only a little from the force, and she saw his body loom over her, both hands places squarely on either side of her. His eyes met her, a burning amber in her vision.

Her expression was carefree, a pull of the lip and a raise of the brow.

"Weren't you the one who was so tired? You could barely move just a second ago," she continued her teasing.

She made a move to escape from under him, but his body lowered to keep her there.

"That's not very fair." He spoke to her with a husk in his voice, his orange hair falling all around his face. He lowered himself so that his head could rest on the bed next to her cheek. "You can't just do that and expect me to be able to sleep after."

His lips pressed onto the crook of her neck and she shivered. All of a sudden, she was too aware of the nakedness of herself as her skin suddenly reacted to the slight brush of his hand along her hip. Ichigo was trailing kisses along her collarbone, his hair light and feathery on her neck. She sighed.

"Who's the one being unfair." She said, head relaxing into the bed. "You're the one still wearing all their clothes."

She felt him smile against her skin as he nicked a place just below her jaw. Giggling, she pushed him over so that she was straddling his waist, a triumphant smile on her lips. He smiled back and let her pull shirt off over his head.

 _Cold air, shattered glass at their feet. She stands with her hand gripping tightly to a handle, a suitcase that is almost too heavy for her to carry. There is a sting in her eyes and a pain in her chest, she is turned away from him. His head bowed and back facing away, he kneels on the floor with his hands knit together on his lap and orange hair blending in with the sunset painted onto the walls. She cannot see his expression._

 _Neither say a word to one another. There is no sound for silence yet it visibly weighs on the both of them when she begins to walk towards the door. He does not get up to stop her, though she hesitates at the handle. There is still silence when she slams the door behind her._

Rukia's eyes shot open. Her breathing ragged and heart pounding against her chest, she looks around her room and sees everything the way it was when she had fallen asleep. The clock on the wall, two minutes too early. The bedroom door slightly ajar. The closet still left open. His clothes discarded on the floor, their fabric collecting dust and wrinkles.

Ichigo's arm is draped around her body, pulling her in closer when she shifted. She can feel his bare skin as it presses into her naked back and she can clearly remember how he had felt just a few hours before. Their hands on each other, the sheets tangling in their sprawled limbs and air filled with the smell of their pants and sweat and moans. Him with her, around her… in her. She blushes with only a slight feeling of bashfulness. They had fallen asleep quickly after.

She nods and assures herself that that was what had happened, that the vivid and cold vision in her mind was only a side effect of sleep. She was dreaming, and all it was, was a nightmare.

She nods again and allows herself to nestle closer to Ichigo's sleeping form. He unconsciously pulls her in closer and nuzzles his nose into the back of her neck. She smiles. It was only a dream.

Yet when she closed her eyes, certain with herself that nothing was amiss, Rukia got no more sleep that night as the scene of cold air and broken glass played again and again in the back of her mind.

* * *

 **End**

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! A bit blunt but I think it turned out nicer than I expected. Please remember to **review** if you can~


	3. Chapter Two

A glimpse into the past then to the present. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I deeply apologize for not responding like I usually do, I'll be sure to be more diligent with that. Onward!

* * *

 **Connecting Stars: Chapter Two**

* * *

"You look so pretty Kuchiki-san!"

Orihime could not contain her excitement. Hisana adjusted the last camellia in her sister's hair and took a step back. With a sigh, she smiled.

"Like an ancient princess," Orihime continued. "When I get married I want a dress like this, too!"

"When you said a modern kimono, I was worried." Tatsuki smirked. "But I'm impressed. Ichigo won't know what hit him."

There was a knock on the door.

"Speaking of the devil…" Tatsuki looked to the door. Getting up from her complacent placement at the corner of the room, she put a hand on the handle and cracked it open. "Hey, in western cultures its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before-… You're not Ichigo."

Standing at the doorway was a man with fire red hair and strange birthmarks all over his upper body. He was tall and looming with a seemingly perpetual scowl plastered to his face, but he wasn't Ichigo.

"No, I'm not." He said. "I'm-…"

"Renji!" Rukia shouted seeing him in the reflection of the mirror.

"You know him, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime asked. Her light auburn hair bobbed along her shoulders when she turned, having just cut it after graduation.

"He and Rukia are childhood friends." Hisana picked herself off of her chair and walked to the door.

"Childhood friend?" Orihime repeated.

"Yes," Hisana laughed. "It's been a long time Ren-kun, you've grown since the last time I've seen you."

"Ah, Hisana-san," Renji greeted, abashed. "It has been about three years."

"That is true," Hisana agreed. Nodding her head, she hummed. "Well, I'm sure you came here to see Rukia since it's been so long. The three of us need to get to our seats, so don't take too long."

"What?" Tatsuki questioned.

"Come on girls," Hisana chided the two other women out the door, leaving Renji and Rukia to collect their thoughts after a long reunion.

At first, there was silence. Rukia stood from her seat so that he wouldn't have to look down so much, though it helped little as her small frame seemed to almost be overwhelmed by him.

"You really have grown," she said.

"Yeah…" he responded, voice softer than a murmur.

Three years of unspoken words and all they could really do was watch each other in silence. Bottles and containers of makeup and hairpins shook as she leaned against the bureau, arms crossed. He did not move from his place at the door.

Renji looked his childhood friend from head to toe and gave a strained smile.

"You really do look nice." He told her. If anything, there was sincerity in his voice. "You always looked good in traditional clothing."

"I never thought I'd hear you compliment me on how I looked," she joked. Going back to how they had been before she'd been adopted by the Kuchiki's, it was easy, but it something felt different.

Renji shrugged.

"I guess just because it's been a while."

He had gotten taller. They had gotten older. Rukia smiled.

"I'm really glad you could come," she said, "everyone else from junior high just sent me gifts. I was surprised when I saw your reply."

"You have that little faith in me?" Renji feigned hurt. "Like hell I'd miss your wedding."

Rukia laughed, lighthearted. Shoulders slumping, she was finally able to relax a little. Renji laughed along with her, flexing that usual toothy smile that seemed to stretch from one ear to the other, exposing the sharp teeth they had always joked made him look like a wild macaque.

"Plus, I heard you'll be going to Seireitei University on a kendo scholarship," Renji said, a finger scratching his temple in embarrassment. "So we'll be teammates again."

"Really?" Rukia widened her eyes in surprise.

"Yeah."

"That's amazing!" Rukia said. "Just like old times."

"Yeah, just like old times," he agreed.

Rukia did not notice as Renji's fists momentarily clenched.

"So…" Renji hesitated. "Is he the one from your visions? The groom I mean."

All Rukia had to do was smile, that particular grin that had her eyes shimmering, and he knew his answer. Renji restrained from gripping onto his suit too tight. Instead he made a playful scoff.

"Getting married right after graduating, don't you think you're going too fast?"

His words came out forceful, but Rukia acted as though she took no notice. She shrugged.

"It was the most convenient time. Because once university starts we'll both be very busy. Ichigo wants to be a doctor and besides, it was going to happen anyways." She relaxed and leaned further against the bureau. Her eyes traveled to her feet poking out from under the fabric of her kimono. "Sooner or later, we _saw_ it. So it wasn't a matter of _if_ but _when_."

There was a moment of silence as it took a moment for him to process it. Renji's eyes grew wide.

"When you say 'we' saw it," Renji paused. "Do you mean he's like you? He can…"

She slowly looked up to her old friend. A grin spread across her face, and he couldn't help but notice that shimmer in her eyes, the one she had always had when they were growing up. It was a shimmer that he had only seen Rukia give, like the dance of moonlight along the water's edge, with the stars clear and twinkling in the night sky. Her eyes glimmered like she were seeing the world for the first time. And he had always known, that glimmer wasn't meant for him.

There was a knock on the door.

"Is the bride ready?" Came Hisana's voice from the other end.

Renji looked away.

"Seems like the time has come," he told her. With as much strength as he could muster, Renji took another look at his childhood friend and gave her one of his most sincere smiles. "Congratulations, Rukia. I'm glad you could find your happiness."

Rukia couldn't help but smile back. And though he was sad that there wasn't that glimmer in her eyes, he reveled in the fact that this smile was directed solely for him.

"Thank you Renji," she said.

And with a final nod, Renji opened the door and left after giving Hisana a small gesture of acknowledgement. Rukia, suddenly feeling as the nerves began to crawl up her arms, straightened out her posture and fabric and grabbed hold of her sister's arm. They walked into the grand hall.

Rukia turned her head to inspect the obi around her waist one last time before the music began. When she had first rented it, everything was much too big for her. The shoulders sagged and the fabric always slipped right past hips, falling further to the floor with every movement she made. But Hisana had assured her sister that tailoring the dress would be no problem and, much to their relief, everything fell into order. The robe was snug and not a seam out of place. Entering into the open cathedral, she held her head high. The fear of it looking like her kimono was eating her whole. Instead, she stood proudly, letting the silk glide down the aisle; in the sunlight, golden strings shined as they curled around patterns of carnations and spider lilies that matched the red camellias adorning her hair.

With everyone staring at her, Rukia's heart began pounding harder. Even the most nerve racking kendo tournaments could not compare to the mix of joy and anticipation she felt. The eyes of her classmates, friends, Renji; the eyes of her brother-in-law, her sister, and other family members, they all faded in the scene around her.

Walking closer and closer, she had her eyes trained only ahead. Ahead to the man standing at the alter. His orange hair sticking out like a beacon against his tailored black suit. His breath hitched at the sight of her. A hand was brought up to adjust his tie. Their eyes did not leave each other for the moments that she approached, even as she walked up the steps to face him. Ichigo's lip quaked just a bit as he tried his hardest to find words. Rukia resisted the urge to smile inappropriately at his reaction – failing miserably.

"Just repeat after the pastor," she said under her breath.

Ichigo immediately silenced his incoherent mumbling and only gave her a large grin. Without splitting their gaze, they both repeated the mantra of the minister. Words that they, till then, had never known the weight of. Promises to be forever together, promises for the future. With each syllable, the true heaviness of every word they were saying sunk in deeper and deeper. Even if they had filed their marriage register the day she had turned eighteen, it hadn't felt so real till they were facing each other in the moment.

And with a last comment from the minister, the words everyone in the ceremony had been waiting for were spoken like bells from atop the chapel.

"You may now kiss the bride," Ichigo and Rukia mouthed together.

"Anti-climactic?" Ichigo asked, a lilt in his voice.

Rukia gave a mischievous smile.

"Maybe a little," she joked.

He rolled his eyes and she stuck out her tongue.

Both laughing, he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. She pulled away playfully, like the world around them did not exist, they took their time, focusing only each other.

"To forever," he whispered to her.

And with just a small shift, his lips were on hers. A scene that had played out so many times before, reality tasted sweeter. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he brought her waist closer to him. Enveloped in each other, two puzzle pieces finally finding one another, they kissed.

Sounds of a clapping crowd flooded back when their lips slowly pulled apart. Eyes still connected, the two smiled – a glimmer in both of their eyes.

"To forever," she whispered back.

 _Hands and voices fly into the air. Classmates and friends with smiles on their faces. Orihime in her flowing auburn hair twirls to the music, a flustered Ishida Uryuu caught in her wake. Tatsuki stands by the refreshment table with Keigo and Mizuro goofing off beside her. A rowdy bunch cluster when Chad joins in to defuse the situation. Byakuya ignores everyone around him, acting cold and aloof as usual, while Hisana tucks a strand of flyaway hair. Her smile glows watching Isshin talk to an empty chair. Masaki's spirit would enjoy the festivities with her two daughters stuffing their faces with sweets and wedding cake._

 _But Ichigo spins her like they're gliding on ice. He was never a good dancer but practiced hard for this one night. Effortless, he pulls her in again. They smile. Someone accidentally set their plate on fire._

"What's so funny?" Ichigo leans closer to Rukia.

Newlyweds walked down the aisle, Rukia's kimono flowing behind her. She looks up to him and opened her mouth, voice being almost drowned out by the cheering around them.

"Let's just say it's going to be one hell of an after party."

* * *

 _It was only a dream_ , she told herself.

She ran a finger over the small, handheld frame of them at their wedding. His hand was wrapped around her waist as her lips were pressed to his cheek, it was a moment captured in spontaneity – candid. The expression of shock and happiness on his face was something he could never fake, not to her.

Despite Ichigo's insistence that they get a slightly larger version to put in the living room of their shared apartment, Rukia enjoyed the simplicity of it being her own personal keepsake, so the silly photo of them on their honeymoon was on display instead.

"Do you want me to take you to class?" Ichigo emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and steam dissipating into the air.

Rukia looked up, her expression a little startled.

"O-oh," she mumbled. "No, it's fine. You need to study anyways don't you?"

Ichigo looked at her quizzically.

"I can always study at your library, I just need to call up Uryuu to get the notes I missed from our last pathology lecture."

Ichigo walked to his bedside and unplugged his phone from the charger, the beams of late morning shining through the half open blinds. Watching him as he began scrolling for Ishida Uryuu's contact information, Rukia remembered that his pathology lecture was the extra seminar he had missed to catch the last of her competition the day before.

"Fool," her eye visibly twitched, "how many times have I told you not to skip out on any lectures for my sake?"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head as he began typing a message into his phone.

"I didn't skip the whole thing, just the last half hour," Ichigo mumbled under his breath. "Plus, I already read ahead, I just need to know if the professor emphasized anything for the final."

Rukia put a hand on her forehead, exasperated, but knowing better than to argue her point further. Despite the countless times that Ichigo had flaked out on lectures, missed seminars, and outright bailed on informational meetings, Rukia knew that Ichigo took his school work seriously – though it was not always evident. She had seen the hours he would put into his books and the number of sleepless nights he would spend in their living room watching and re-watching podcast, taking notes and retaking notes. He was serious when he needed to be, and she couldn't condemn him for that.

"Well, you still haven't even gotten dressed yet, plus you need some breakfast if you're going to spend the day studying."

Rukia put the picture frame back into her bedside drawer, standing up and patting down her dress.

"Doesn't take me that long to throw on a shirt and a pair of pants," Ichigo said, "and what about you? You haven't even taken a shower!"

Rukia playfully slapped her husband on the arm.

"Are you saying I smell?" She feigned hurt.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and gave her a quirky smile walked around the bed, leaning in so that their noses touched.

"I'm saying," he started, voice raspy, "do you really want to go to class smelling like sex?"

He pecked her lips and she playfully pushed him away, her face just a little flushed.

"Don't be so crude," she told him, "and besides, I just smell like sweat. Like always."

"But I like your sweat," he chuckled.

"So does my whole kendo team." Rukia grabbed her bag from the foot of the bed.

"Is that an attempt to make me jealous?" Ichigo quirked a brow.

"Don't know." Rukia shrugged, giving a flirtatious look and sly smirk. "Is it working?"

Ichigo returned her expression with a look of his own.

"Don't know, is it?"

There was a silence as Ichigo raised a brow, a towel over his damp hair. Rukia chuckled and walked over to give him one last kiss on the cheek, her toes straining to reach his height. A hand reached out and forcefully pulled his neck down to aid her.

"H-hey, hey, hey," he stammered.

"So I'll find you at the campus library?" she asked.

"Yeah, the old one by the science buildings. Are your classes done at three today? Or four-thirty?"

Ichigo straightened himself, pulling out a shirt from the closet. Rukia scanned the room, feeling her bag to be sure she had all her things.

"Three," she confirmed, "I'll text you to ask which floor."

Ichigo nodded, pulling his shirt over his head. Rukia was heading for the door when she heard Ichigo call her name one last time. She turned to find his lips suddenly met with hers.

"What are you-…?"

"Stay safe," he told her.

The words were usual for him, it was usual for him to worry for her, though there was a playful smile playing on his lips. The sincerity in his eyes was always something she knew to be something characteristic of him. And suddenly, there was that image of his back to her, head low, their eyes no longer communicating. It sent a shiver down her spine and all she wanted to do in that moment was hold onto him tight, hold him to her close so that she could be sure what she _saw_ wasn't real.

Instead, she could only give him as reassuring of a smile as she could.

"I will." She said.

And with a last kiss for the morning, she left their apartment as Ichigo began preparing his own materials.

* * *

"Excuse me? Do you have some time to spare?"

Rukia had a difficult time refusing the array of fliers that were constantly shoved into her face on a daily basis. Her small stature and doe-eyed appearance, mixed with her inability to ignore the various vendors and community service leaders, made her a perfect victim for their assaults. So, with a wary smile and hands filled with pamphlets and fliers, she was stopped – for the tenth time – by another friendly face in the crowd.

"Yo, Rukia!"

Renji stood like a giant amongst those around him. Having grown tall early, he had learned to waltz with her height in confidence, which seemed to only add to his massive size.

"Renji?"

"Miss?" The shelter representative looked at Rukia quizzically.

"Sorry, we have a lecture starting now and the professor takes attendance."

The fib rolled off his tongue like water as Renji began to pull the disoriented Rukia away from the information booth.

"It'll only take a minute," the shelter representative pressed.

"And we don't really have that time," Renji continued.

Rukia gave the shelter representative an apologetic look, though she made no attempts to resist her friend's tugging. The shelter representative sighed, but still kept a warm smile and friendly appearance.

"Well, then just contact me if you're interested and have questions."

And with that, Rukia left with another hand-out in hand.

"This is a new record," Renji mused, "want me to carry any of that?"

Rukia gave a playful eye roll as she stuffed the various pamphlets and handouts into her book bag. The lecture hall was mostly empty, save for the first three rows that had an occupant every two or so seats.

"So, can you tell me what it exactly is that you're worried about?" Renji chose a seat somewhere to the left and Rukia followed behind.

"Worried?" Rukia gave him a disconcerting look.

"Your eyebrows have been furrowed this whole time we walked to class," Renji observed. "If you aren't worries, you're at least thinking about something."

Rukia gave a jovial chuckle and swallowed her nerves along with a swing of her water bottle.

"Not really thinking about anything," she said, "just tired."

Renji, much like Ichigo, seemed to have a perpetual frown when he wasn't making any real expression at all. But Rukia had missed the slight raise of the brow, transforming his look of complacency to one of wary disbelief.

"Really?"

"Really," she assured.

The lecture hall doors came swinging open as more students began to enter. While the breeze of budding spring made the campus smell of cherry blossoms and sycamore, the bite of a lingering winter made Rukia shutter and pull her sweater closer around her body. Championships were over only a week till the semester finals arrived and their times as third years would come to a close. It was an exhilarating yet bewildering feeling that in approximately another year, she would be leaving the safe structure of school and education to be thrust into the real world.

"Well, well, well! Look who we have here?"

"Hey, Momo."

"Hinamori!"

Blithe smile and hickory eyes, Hinamori Momo's brunette hair was pulled back into a bun – as per usual – as she approached the duo.

"Excuse me miss, but do I now find myself in the presence of royalty?" Momo sat in the empty seat beside Rukia, her hands clasped beside her face and voice fluctuating with playful adoration.

"Royalty, Hinamori-san?" Rukia chuckled, if only for the absurdity of Momo over exaggerating her sighs and swoons.

"Yes!" Momo squealed. Renji made a face and grunt of obvious discomfort to the pitch but Momo paid him no heed. "Am I not in the presence of, her majesty, the kendo queen?"

She gave an exaggerated bow, with the twirl of the wrist and lowering of the head, all for good measure. Rukia couldn't help but laugh and feel a slight inflation of pride.

"I wouldn't call myself much of a queen…"

"Oh, no need for modesty. You won the All Universities' Championships for the third time in a row." Momo pulled her bag up to her lap and began rummaging. "See, you even made a headline in the campus paper."

Momo had retrieved a half folded bundle of paper, the seams creased to reveal a title written in bold letters: _The Queen Reigns Supreme! Kuchiki Rukia Continues to Win All Universities' Kendo Title for Third Year_. Though the photo the paper had used was not one that she would have used for herself, there was no denying to warmth and joy she felt remembering how her teammates had surrounded her once she had landed her finishing strike. It was hard for her not to smile.

"Hey, Momo," Renji leaned over his legs so that he could be in better view of the two girls, "I won my competition, too. Does that make me the king?"

"Were you written with the association of a king?" Momo held up the paper. "No? Then how about just a monkey?"

"You know, there's such a thing as monkey king?" he defended.

"But he isn't you," Momo continued to chide.

Renji's eye twitched.

"Careful Hinamori, this monkey might just go bananas on you."

"Kuchiki-tan! Renji is acting like a baboon like usual!" Momo whined and latched onto Rukia, her voice pitched just at the frequency she knew that Renji found annoying.

"Am I just a hybrid of all the ape family now?" He gave a tight smile as his words were hissed through his clenched teeth.

"Kuchiki-tan!"

"Okay, you two." Rukia couldn't help but roll her eyes at the childish display beside her. She pushed Renji back into his seat as she patted Momo on the head, giving a sigh. "You can be kind of the sword wielding baboons."

"Somehow, it doesn't sound any better coming from you," Renji mumbled, eye still twitching.

Momo laughed and pulled herself closer to Rukia, sticking out her tongue in triumph.

"What are you, five?" Renji retaliated.

"Maybe?" Momo laughed. Her arms were wrapped around Rukia's and her cheek pressed into the smaller's shoulder. Her brows furrowed. "Hey Kuchiki-tan, did you have practice this morning?"

Rukia had been laughing at the disgruntled look on Renji's face when she heard Momo speak to her.

"Practice?" Rukia questioned.

"We just had champs yesterday," Renji said. "Why would we practice just the morning after?"

"Eh, then did you not shower afterwards?" Momo asked. "I'm sorry, but you really smell like sweat."

"I mean, it's pretty hot today," Renji reasoned.

Momo's face was still scrunched in thought. Leaning in closer, she sniffed.

"But it isn't just sweat it also smells kind of like…" her lips always pursed when she was thinking, her mind going off on a tangent. "It isn't just sweat…?"

"What are you rambling about?" Renji gumbled.

Rukia hadn't thought she would feel so bashful, or regret a decision she had just joked to Ichigo about earlier that morning, but the sudden redness in her cheeks could not be hidden beneath the tussles of her hair. Renji and Momo looked on with puzzlement on their faces, but it only took Momo a moment to realize.

"A-ahah! So it was like that!"

"Like what?" Renji still looked on in confusion.

Momo let out a snicker along with her blush. Her bangs brushed the bridge of her nose as she patted Rukia on the head placed the girl's head onto her chest.

"No worries Mr. king of the sword wielding baboons." She waved him off, flustered. "I think I might have intruded a little bit on the real king and queen."

"What are you on about?" Renji narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Momo continued to wave him off.

Rukia's face seemed to get even hotter, but Renji only continued to look on with one brow raised.

* * *

Sitting at a desk by the window, looking down at the campus and their students. Some swarmed like a pack of ants while others were just slugs meandering along. His chin was resting in the palm of his hand while his pen was being fidgeted between his fingers. The textbook on biological pathways and viruses had been flipped to the middle of the "Diseases of the Blood and Hematology" chapter for the past half hour, not a page turned since he had arrived.

Ichigo wasn't the fondest of the old, science library located on the Seireitei University campus, at least no more than any study room or facility at SMU. Arguably, Seireitei Medical had superior facilities if only for the fact that it was a newer institution with access to more modern architecture and designs. The stuffiness of the molded walls and towering wooden bookshelves made him feel small and lost amongst the corridors while the dimness of the chandeliers, covered in dust and cob webs, did little to quell his springtime allergies.

"Studying hard I see."

Rukia set down her things as softly as she could before sitting in the seat across from Ichigo. Her eyes were looking at the blank page of notes in front of him.

Ichigo leaned back in his chair and stretched his hands behind his head.

"What if I just got here?" he smirked.

"Then, start studying," she whispered and started pulling out and opening her own textbooks.

"Vice-captain Kuchiki-san?"

Both Rukia and Ichigo looked up from their books to see a mousy looking student with straight dark hair and drooping eyes standing by their table with a stack of books weighing his arms down. Ichigo couldn't help but think of him like a dong he had once encountered when passing the adoption center back home.

"Hanataro," Rukia greeted familiarly, "no need to add the vice-captain title, we aren't in practice right now."

"R-right, vice-… I mean…" Hanataro paused. "I mean Kuchiki-san."

Rukia laughed at his nervousness, giving him a few words of reassurance.

"So what are you doing with all those books? Studying?" She asked.

Hanataro looked down at the stack of books in his arms and heaved a heavy sigh.

"I guess? Sort of," he sheepishly admitted. "I have a final report due this week and I have to do well or else I might fail the class. I didn't do too well on the midterm exam."

The base of his neck began to flush, as though speaking of his failure brought him utmost shame. Rukia did her best to give a comforting smile.

"That is always pretty nerve wracking," she said in agreement. "But don't worry yourself too much. If you put about half as much effort into your essay as you do in practice, I'm sure you'll pass without a problem."

Hanataro, in all his nervous jitters, gave Rukia a genuinely grateful smile.

"Thank you vice-captain Kuchiki-san," Hanataro said.

"Hanataro…"

"Right, right," Hanataro laughed, "just Kuchiki-san outside of practice."

Rukia smiled and nodded. Her eyes, only for a moment, glided back to Ichigo. But in that moment, she noticed how his lips parted and eyes only just slightly widened. The expression had been fleeting, scarce – unnoticeable to anyone upon a glance. But Rukia was not just anyone, and she knew that expression well. He had _seen_ something, and her breath could not help but be caught in her throat as her heart began to pound faster.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hanataro sounded flustered, his attention on Ichigo. "I'm Yamada Hanataro, a s-second year Psychology Major on the same team as vice-…" He paused and looked back at Rukia, who was barely regaining her composure. "I'm on the same team as vice-captain Kuchiki-san."

"Ah, yo, Hanataro," Ichigo said, almost as familiarly as Rukia had moments earlier. Hanataro appearing flustered at the sudden display of familiarity by using his given name. "Rukia's mentioned you a few times. I'm her ball-and-chain, vice-captain Kuchiki's prison keeper."

"O-oh…" Hanataro began looking even more flustered – if that state were even possible – not knowing how to respond.

Rukia simply rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

"Don't mind him too much Hanataro," Rukia said. "This is my husband, Ichigo. He actually came to the championship yesterday."

"Yes! I think I did see you," Hanataro spoke meekly. "I heard you go to Seireitei Medical University. So you want to become a doctor."

Ichigo chuckled and scratched the back of his head, a look of sheepish embarrassment playing on his face, something rare that many didn't see often.

"Yeah, well, we'll see in a few years," he said.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Hanataro reassured him. Looking on at the textbooks and notepad sprawled on the desk between them, Hanataro had regained his nervous and flustered mannerisms. "Well, I should let you two get back to studying. I'm sorry for bothering!"

"Eh, no worries, I already know all this stuff anyways," Ichigo sighed and rested his cheek onto his hands and pushed the textbook a bit to the right.

"Cocky aren't we?" Rukia turned a page in her textbook and began side eyeing her husband.

Ichigo smirked, a playful glimmer in his eyes.

"No, just at night with you—agh!"

He winced and gripped his shin. Rukia continued to read her textbook, looking unconcerned as she flipped to the next page – save for the sly smile that played on her lips. She had kicked him from under the table.

"Oh goodness, Ichigo dearest!" Rukia spoke in a saccharin sweet voice, her doe eyes almost growing comically larger. "You should be more careful, kicking the table can hurt."

Ichigo gave a wry smile, his eye twitching.

"Table my ass," he grit through his teeth.

Hanataro looked on with puzzlement and shock.

"Ah… well, I think I should be going," he said. "I should really get back to writing my essay."

As he began to leave, Rukia turned back to Hanataro, her sugary expression disappearing immediately as though what had just transpired had never happened.

"Good luck! Remember, just work hard and don't worry too much," she assured him. "You'll be fine."

"I really hope so," Hanataro said. With one last sigh, he began heading for the stairs. "Well, bye vice-captain-…"

"Just Kuchiki-san," Rukia corrected.

"Right." Hanataro smiled. "Bye Kuchiki-san, Kuchiki-san's husband."

Ichigo gave a wave of acknowledgement, though his hands were still wrapped around his leg, nursing his abused shin. When Hanataro was away from sight, he let out a sigh and hiss of pain.

"Damn, you really went for it."

"Fool," Rukia chastised, "those aren't appropriate jokes to make in front of people."

She returned to her textbooks and was flipping to find the pages she needed to review for her final.

"Sorry, just got caught in the moment."

Rukia sighed. Her head lifting and lips pulling sideways, she rested her cheek against the back of her hand.

"What ever happened to the Ichigo who could barely even mention sacred parts of a girl's anatomy without getting all red in the face?"

"Maybe I lost him on our wedding night?" He smirked.

"And there he goes again," Rukia spoke, her voice thinning.

"Sorry, sorry," Ichigo chuckled, "that was the last one, I promise."

"Better be," Rukia gave a warning voice.

Returning to her textbook and lecture notes, she began writing a few things down while returning to her study materials and grabbing a marker from her bag. There was a seriousness in the way that she worked, her brows knitted together and eyes focused. She never realized that her tongue often stuck out when she was concentrating hard enough: right when her mind was engrossed in whatever she was doing, left if she was struggling to keep it clear. It was sticking out left.

"He's going to pass."

"Huh?"

Rukia looked up from her work, a dazed expression on her face.

"Hanataro," Ichigo mentioned, "he's going to pass."

"Well of course he is," Rukia said, "he's a kendo team member he has to-…"

"No, I mean that I know he will," Ichigo interrupted. "I _saw_ him tell us."

Rukia blinked a couple of times. Her mind taking a moment to process what he just said. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes widened and she leaned in closer to him. Her shoulders relaxed.

"Is that what you saw earlier?" she asked, her voice forgetting they were in a library.

"No need to shout to the heavens," Ichigo chuckled, "but yes. That's what I _saw_."

It didn't happen immediately, but the sudden look of relief that washed over her features, there was something that nagged at the back of his head. A part of him knew that whatever reprieve Rukia was showing, it wasn't only because of the information of knowing a teammate would succeed. There was something heavier weighing on her mind.

"That's good," she said as she nodded. "That's good."

Her head lowered once more to read through her textbook, pen picked back up and ready to write. Now her tongue began to stick out to the right. Ichigo could not help but reach out and tuck a strand of her loosely tussled hair behind her ear.

She looked up again.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ichigo responded.

Ichigo gave an innocent smile, one that Rukia often had a difficult time not feeling giddy and warm inside for. It wasn't long before a small grin began tugging at the corners of her lips as she shook her head and returned back to her books.

"Idiot," she said, "get back to studying."

Ichigo was hard pressed to obey. As her tongue began creeping out between her lips again, twisting to the right like the multitude of rabbit photos she had saved on their computer at home, the sun was slowly making its way down the blanket of the sky.

Ichigo may not have been the fondest of the old science library at Seireitei University, but he was fond of his wife. And whenever the two of them would just sit in that secluded corner on the top floor, between towering bookshelves and long forgotten chandeliers, when the sun just shined through the windows and onto her midnight hair, she glowed.

And that was enough for him.

* * *

 **End**

* * *

Finally updated! Wow, what has been happening since the last time I updated? Bleach ended? What? You all are crazy!

*sigh* yeah. I know. I know and I was upset (still am) but this is my story and I don't want to use it to vent or spread negativity. Honestly, right now I'm just exhausted. If you want to talk, I'm always open to, but please refrain from unnecessarily or excessively mentioning the final chapter if you review.

Which reminds me! Please remember to **review** if you can~ I greatly appreciate every single one of them!


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